Bobby Orr grew up in Parry Sound, Ontario where his father, grandfather, and almost everyone in town were devoted Toronto Maple Leaf supporters. Orr was a self-described "big Leafs fan," making him the ultimate "one that got away" for the franchise. A reminder of what could have been is captured in a photo from his book, Bobby: My Story in Pictures, which shows a teenage Orr wearing a blue-and-white leaf sweater with No. 2 on his back at Maple Leaf Gardens, a rare appearance as a guest player for the Toronto Marlboros in a 1965 exhibition game against the Russian national team. Yet, despite being right in Toronto's backyard, the Leafs failed to capitalize on early tips, leaving the door open for Boston Bruins scout Wren Blair to discover the 12-year-old phenom at a youth tournament in 1961. The Bruins aggressively courted the Orr family by funding his local team, remodeling their home, and securing his junior rights through Oshawa, leaving Toronto fans forever wondering what might have been before Orr officially debuted in Boston in 1966 and revolutionized hockey history.

🍁 

Thought I’d dust off this oldie, especially for all the fans of blistering 70s and 80s hard rock. I wrote this “Top 10” back around 2008 for Unrated Magazine. It got a lot of good feedback back then and it’s fair share of detractors. Fans are a loyal bunch; if they perceive any slight towards their band, they will respond ten fold. Of course this wasn’t a hit piece, just a fun light article. I myself have seen Van Halen twice and both were great shows. Enjoy, as we step back into the days of tape players, hairspray, and music television.

10 Things You Didn’t Know (or Don’t Want to Know) About Van Halen!

1. Although founding member Michael Anthony had officially parted ways with Van Halen in 2006, the bassist’s ousting from the group can be traced back to 1998’s album Van Halen III. Anthony had little, if zero input in the writing process.
2. In 1977, KISS bassist Gene Simmons saw one of Van Halen’s shows and financed their first demo tape. Simmons supposedly wanted to change the band’s name to “Daddy Longlegs” and had even designed possible album cover art depicting a daddy longlegs wearing a top hat. Realizing the name was ultra lame, the band stuck with the Van Halen moniker.
3. Sticking with the KISS theme, according to Gene Simmons, Eddie Van Halen reportedly approached the bassist in the early 80s about the possibility of joining KISS as their new guitarist, replacing a strung out Ace Frehley. Simmons said he ultimately convinced Eddie to stay with Van Halen while KISS decided to go with Vinnie Vincent (yes folks, you read that right).
4. None of the group’s David Lee Roth era albums ever hit the coveted #1 spot on the Billboard album chart, while all four “Van Hagar” studio albums did, starting with 1986’s 5150.
5. The infamous “M&M candy” removal stipulation did in fact exist. In the early eighties, the band’s contract rider specified that a bowl of M&M candies, with all of the brown ones removed, was to be available in their dressing room. In his biography, Crazy From the Heat, David Lee Roth refuted this demand as not one of diva behaviour, but a safety precaution signifying that the concert staff was correctly reading and honouring the technical and safety provisions in the contract.
6. Eddie Van Halen was not paid for that solo he did on Michael Jackson’s mega hit “Beat It.” The guitarist performed two takes, supposedly the better one was chosen, and the rest is history.
7. Eddie angered Kurt Cobain. One night backstage before a Nirvana show in L.A., a reportedly intoxicated Eddie Van Halen asked Kurt Cobain if he could jam with the grunge band. Seeing that Eddie was inebriated, Cobain refuted. After some heated discussion, Cobain was heard to say “here!!!,” pointing to a guitar. “You go and play by yourself out there.” Suffice to say Eddie was nowhere to be seen on stage when Nirvana started playing.
8. Not only is Sammy Hagar wealthy from his successful tenure as frontman for Van Halen, but also the singer recently sold an 80% interest in his Cabo Wabo Tequila to Gruppo Campari, the seventh-largest spirits company in the world. Hagar reportedly received a cool $80 million for the deal.
9. David Lee Roth is a trained EMT and has been on hundreds of individual ambulance rides in New York City. The current Van Halen singer and former radio host even once used a defibrillator on a Bronx woman who suffered a heart attack, consequently saving her life. Now if only he could shock his solo career back to life.
10. While some classify Van Halen as heavy metal, some critics have referred to the band as “hard rock” or “party rock.” Yet maybe the most unique term was some early critics calling them “teeth rock.” Because at a time when most rockers were trying to look serious and tough, the members of Van Halen smiled all the time, everywhere; onstage, in videos, and interviews. I’m guessing their toothy grins were the result of the band smiling all the way to the bank back then.

Park Profiles: Issue #1, August, 2026

”I was no more important than the person who measured the long jump distances or the individuals with the starters pistols,” said former Strathcona County Summer Games organizer Doug Fulford in regard to the Strathcona County ‘87 Summer Games. “We were all volunteers, all of us, and if any one of us were taken out, the entire operation would have been disrupted.” 

That quote sums up Sherwood Park, Alberta resident and ‘87 Summer Games organizer Doug Fulford to a tee. Humble, grateful, enthusiastic, optimistic, gracious, honourable, and hard working. All descriptions that aptly describe the man. From his days working in the RCMP to being with the Edmonton Police Service to his entrepreneurial spirit and local organizing skills, Doug Fulford epitomizes and embodies the strength and importance of community. I had the pleasure to sit down and chat with him recently. Here’s how that conversation went. 

Trent McMartin: Hi Doug, why Sherwood Park? Why did you move here in ‘73? 

Doug Fulford: We moved to Sherwood Park because, at that time, it was about 8,000 people. We were living in a good area of the city (Edmonton). But when we looked at housing out here, and found it, we came across a location where we live in Mills Haven now, close to schools. Easy access to getting to work. 

Our kids were younger. And it was just an opportunity to find a really, we thought, a really good community, and... we have travelled to probably about 50 countries in the world over time, and Sherwood Park, in my view, is maybe in the top 2% of any place to live in the world. Because we've had excellent leadership in this community. The recreation facilities, the schools, our kids were a half a block away from Mills Haven School. 

And then a place to get involved in things like scouts, baseball, activities, music. And so... it's just an incredibly good place to live. Because of all the infrastructure we have, and leadership, and... access to so many things.

TM: And that's why you stayed. 

DF: That's why we have stayed since 1973. 

 TM: You’ve been involved in decades of community service. So many notable examples of your dedication to community. The ‘87 Strathcona Games must stick out as a notable achievement. 

DF: The games were a success because of the support of the community, the support of the media, the support of our elected officials and the staff, the recreation of parks. 

The community involvement, whether it was the businesses, incredible business support. Incredible community support. I don't know what more you could say, because that's how success happens. 

TM: You look back on that role, in the organization of the games and are you proud of what you did? What you did then? 

DF: With the games? Yeah, absolutely. I mean, when you are lucky enough in your lifetime, to be involved in an event, that is so successful, that you have to be proud of that, of course, just to be involved. And then, to be involved at the leadership level, supported by so many people. Both volunteers, and staff, and businesses, and getting support from Petro Canada and Peterson Pontiac and many others. 

TM: So Politics. In ‘93, you ran for the Progressive Conservative party against Liberal Bruce Collingwood in the Provincial election and didn't win. You were a little short on the votes and he took it that year. But you were close. What do you remember of that? And did you take anything away after it was over? 

DF: To be involved in politics at a provincial level... I was very lucky to be involved. The campaign out here with Bruce….everybody respected everybody. 

TM: It was close. I saw the tallies in my research. 

DF: Yeah, I congratulated him. He served our community very well as the MLA. I have respect for him. 

TM: Did you think about running again after in any capacity? Did you ever get that itch to do it again? 

DF: We would have had to nominate a candidate about a year ahead. I sat down with Iris Evans later on and Iris said, “Doug, if you run, I'll support you.” I said, “Iris, if you run, I'm gonna support you. “

So, I went and got on the phone, and I made probably two or three hundred phone calls, and the results were there. Iris Evans…everyone knew the name. Her name is recognized by about 95% of the phone calls.  Bruce was at about 60, 65 percent and I wasn't there. Yes, in my world…sure, it'd be nice to run again. But you throw all your support behind the best candidate.

And we did. Yeah, we didn't win by a lot of votes later, 350 votes I think (Iris Evans gained office in 1997 by unseating Liberal Bruce Collingwood by 305 votes in the provincial election). 

Yeah, it was close. Because of Bruce. Bruce was a good guy, a lawyer. Well spoken. He represented the community well. I have respect for him. We ran an honest campaign in ‘93.

TM: It seems to be a rarity these days to run that type of campaign. It seems to be more of a mud slinging contest these days. Especially more on a national level. 

DF: You know, a lot of people, like, they kind of miss those days when maybe people are more respectful towards each other. Society had a little different attitude, going back to the early '90s. I think there was more respect for individuals, and somehow, the political world seemed to change. I don't know where it started. Maybe in the U.S, maybe in Europe, but it seemed to be... seemed to become more about running down your competition. You could get more of votes. Yeah, and so... you get guys playing that game. It came to...the person who could tell the best lie won. That's in today's world. That's today. 

TM: So I want to touch upon, of course, the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal. You were awarded the medal in 2002. Was this something that was a culmination of decades of service? Was it an honour? 

DF: It's an honour to me to have had the opportunity to work and represent. I'm going to say, representing some teams and projects that were extremely successful for the community. To be involved.

TM: Professionally you’ve had an interesting and diverse career. Touch upon that.

DF: I'm so lucky. I spent 20 years in the RCMP.  And I spent about 18 months for the Edmonton city police. And I was in charge of the Alberta Sheriff's from about 2003 to almost 2007, just over almost four years. And when I was there, that's when we created the Sheriff Traffic Operation, the specialized traffic division of the Alberta Sheriffs Branch.

TM: Interesting. 

DF: And with the minister and the deputy and stuff, we looked at it as a pilot project. And I proposed that we put this pilot in place for six months. At the end of three months, I went and said we got to implement this. It's been so good, because I'll give you an example. Highway 63 to Fort McMurray, once that service was available on that road, it was able to add so much to the safety of communities in Alberta. And then it expanded from there. 

TM: What about consulting? 

DF: When I left the RCMP in 1982, I set up my investigation company, in a private sector, working for governments, for firms and we did very little individual work. We had some excellent contracts. In about 1986, we were approached by Alberta Forestry to assist with wild land fire investigations. 

TM: Oh, okay.

DF: The cause and responsibility, and we had that contract for 15 years. I worked with some really nice guys, really, really good guys. One guy by the name of Cliff Henderson was the ADM (Assistant Deputy Minister) in forestry. We were able to solve a lot or place responsibility on companies, individuals. I will give you an example. There was a quad. I won't give you the name of the quads, but yeah that were used by oil companies and forestry. The exhaust system that kicks out.. well, what it does, the wheels pick up debris, put it on the exhaust system, and then it gets heated to about 200 and some degrees. And that debris falls off. If the guys are operating, they don't know. Yeah, but causing a fire. But here's something that was really good. With forestry, we met with one of the companies and they changed the exhaust system. 

TM: Wow. 

DF: Yes, because of the investigation. Because of the working with forestry and listening to those guys, we were the investigation side. They understood the fire behaviour in the science and we gained a lot of knowledge in 15 years. 

I also sat on the board of the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission. It was just incredible, because I got appointed as the deputy chair, so I chaired the hearings. 

TM: That would have been interesting. 

DF: And during that period of time, the casino expansion was taking place quite rapidly. Ralph Klein was supporting that. This would have been back in the '90s. I was on the board there in 1998 to 2003.

TM: So, last thing. I know you've talked about travelling. You’ve been to dozens of countries. You’ve been to Iran, you've been to the Great Wall. You've hiked the Grand Canyon. What's the next adventure? 

DF: Well, I've got to send a challenge to you. We were at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, to Phantom Ranch, and back up. We left at 6:30 in the morning, and we're back up at 5:15 pm later that day. 

TM: I couldn’t do that. 

DF: When you beat that time, phone me (laughter erupts between us).  

But, you know, it's amazing. Health wise, I've been so lucky. 

TM: That's good. 

DF: And when you reach the mileage that I have, health is absolutely the most important thing, My dad lived to be 107. 

TM: Quite an achievement.

DF: But his last three or four years where he... just he existed. He didn't live. Family, and economics, and health. Health number one. 

I think I mentioned we've travelled to about 50 countries in the world now. Well, some of those were, like, for different work. At one time, I had a diplomatic passport, and I have a lot of respect for the common everyday people in Iran. It goes back a lot of years. And the one thing I found, when you go, we have Chinese friends who we went to China with, when you get past the political part of a country and meet the people, the common people. Everybody is the same. They're trying to make a living, raise a family, be good people. Even in the United States, if you get past one man. Yeah, you gotta meet the people there, like, we're not so much different. 

TM: They're the same as us.

DF: In this country of Canada, many of us have no idea what extreme poverty is. I mean, I've come back from one other particular country, got down and kissed the ground in Canada when we got back. Yeah, literally. Because we are so lucky. 

Like, Winston Churchill said, there ain't nothing worse than a democracy. Except all the rest.

The politics, sometimes, well, we're seeing its effects in today's world.

 But overall…the world's full of really, really good people.

TM: Thanks Doug. 

DF: Thank you. 

(Photo of Doug Fulford, August, 2026, taken by Trent McMartin)

 

Trent McMartin

I'm excited to share a new writing project called "Park Profiles", a monthly feature highlighting the interesting and inspiring people who call Sherwood Park, Alberta, home. It's been a great experience recently getting back into the writing process, and I've really enjoyed telling the stories of people across the country, province, and in our local community. I've lived in Sherwood Park most of my life and I feel I got my finger on the pulse of the community so I’m really looking forward to this.

I also want to sincerely thank everyone who has taken the time to read, comment, and offer words of encouragement in various social platforms. Your support has meant a great deal to me, and I truly appreciate every kind message. I can't wait to highlight and celebrate some of the great people in our community that continue to make it what it is; a nice place to live.

I will be posting it on Reddit, LinkedIn, Facebook and more every month.

Thank you

Trent McMartin

(Thank you to Jodi Phelan for help with the graphic)

My first edition of Park Profiles will be up next week. I'll be covering a longtime Sherwood Park resident and local organizer, who’s also a business entrepreneur, a former political candidate, a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal, a traveller, hiker, and an all round adventure seeking extraordinaire.

...

This and more next week.

Thank you to Jodi Phelan for help with my new graphic.

I'm excited to share a new writing project called "Park Profiles", a monthly feature highlighting the interesting and inspiring people who call Sherwood Park, Alberta, home. It's been great recently getting back into the writing process, and I've really enjoyed telling the stories of people across the country, province, and in our local community. I've lived in Sherwood Park most of my life and I feel I got my finger on the pulse of the community.

I also want to sincerely thank everyone who has taken the time to read, comment, and offer words of encouragement in various social platforms. Your support has meant a great deal to me, and I truly appreciate every kind message. I can't wait to highlight and celebrate some of the great people in our community that continue to make it what it is; a nice place to live.

I will be posting it on Reddit, LinkedIn, Facebook and so on every month.

Thank you

Trent McMartin

Deceased actor and cultural icon James Dean has seen a shift in his cultural influence in recent years. The defining symbol of 1950s rebellion, Dean’s cultural impact has been debated and reexamined over the decades. While his image of the troubled, cool outsider still exemplifies teenage angst and retro style, younger generations today are seemingly less connected to the star actor than previous generations.

“I have no idea who that is,” said my 14 year old nephew when asked recently who James Dean was. 

”Was he a basketball player?” 

Of course getting one teenagers perspective doesn’t make a film icon such as Dean irrelevant in a modern context. But there have been signs of a shift for sometime as online discourse about the actors legacy has grown. Discussions on platforms like Quora generally highlight that Dean’s modern significance is now more deeply tied to the history of cinema rather than everyday pop culture, some even going as far as saying he’s a “cultural relic.” 

And it’s not just online, former hotspots like the gas station in Blackwell’s Corner at the intersection of State Routes 46 and 33 in Kern County, California, where the 24-year-old film star made his final stop before dying in a car crash in 1955, has seen a sharp decline in visitors in recent years. According to a 2024 Los Angeles Times article, signs were posted in the establishment pleading for people to buy something to help the business stay afloat.

“YOUR PURCHASES ARE THE ONLY REASON WE CAN STAY OPEN IN THESE TRYING TIMES,” read a red-lettered sign by the front door, said the article. 

Of course COVID was no help to the business. But the article showcased a recent waning of interest in James Dean from visitors to the gas station and store. 

In our digital age and fragmented culture, where formerly shared social narratives, unified values, and centralized institutions have declined in favour of hyper-individualism, niche subcultures, and ideological polarization, does James Dean still even have a place in today’s world? 

Yes. At least according to notable American author and highly respected film historian Foster Hirsch.

 “I regularly screen Rebel Without a Cause (Dean’s legendary posthumous 1955 film) to undergraduate classes at Brooklyn College, and students continue to relate to James Dean's presence. While acknowledging aspects of the film that are clearly outdated - the all-white high school, for example - students continue to find Dean's performance truthful, relevant, and moving.”

Dean was one of the first actors, along with Marlon Brando, to popularize method acting, or “The Method.” It was a system of techniques where performers aspire to deep psychological and emotional identification with a character, rather than just pretending to feel, actors draw from personal experiences to trigger real emotions, ensuring performances feel authentic. 

 “The actor's (Dean’s) expert mastery of the Method, a new style at the time, gives his work an aura of spontaneity and improvisation,” says Hirsch. 

“He talks the way real people do, with pauses, hesitation, repetition, backtracking. He mumbles. He is often inarticulate. His body language often is an eloquent way of expressing his character's inner conflicts. And despite the fact that he is using a style of acting, he creates an illusion of immediacy, as if the turmoil experienced by his character is happening for the first time, on the spot.” 

Acting prowess aside, there’s been a change of what represents rebellion over the decades. The rebellious “outsider” image he represented has been continuously reinterpreted over the decades through subsequent movements in music, fashion, film, television, and pop culture. Without new films, franchises, or relevant media keeping his legacy active, Dean’s image could evolve from a mainstream symbol of youth rebellion to a more niche piece of pop culture history, fuelled mainly and solely by merchandise and apparel. 

A popular perspective within the online community is the fair assessment that the actual person James Dean has long since transcended from living, breathing actor into mythical cultural icon. Thats not a new concept, that transition started to happen immediately after the car crash on September 30, 1955. But with that and the time that has passed since his untimely death, there seems to be a lack of overall familiarity by the general public with the actors work, being that he only released three films as a starring lead during his brief, yet influential career.

“We know him only from his three great mid-50s performances, in East of Eden, Giant, and Rebel Without a Cause, a legacy of extraordinary if abbreviated brilliance; he remains forever the perpetual teenager, struggling to find a place in a world that often seems hostile or rejecting, grasping for emotional security and reeling from rejection,” Hirsch says. 

Not to mention the “what if” factor, a key reason of Dean’s perpetual fame. 

“The fact that James Dean died at 24 means that he has been frozen in time - we never saw him as he aged, and we can't know what his career might have become,” Hirsch adds. 

Though debate continues over the size and scope of Dean’s continued relevance, there is no doubt the 24-year old Indiana native struck a chord with the public, then as now, he continues to inspire, influence, and draw praise. Like a shooting star, the man and his performances left a bright and memorable impact. He was one of the first pop culture figures to resonate with audiences, especially younger ones, on a personal and emotional level, while invoking a strong sense of oncoming modernity. 

“He (Dean) remains forever the perpetual teenager,” says Hirsch. 

“Struggling to find a place in a world that often seems hostile or rejecting, grasping for emotional security and reeling from rejection, from inadequate fathers, most of all, but from feelings of being an outsider that generations of young people, and older people too, continue to relate to.”

Scoring 50 goals in a single NHL season remains one of hockey's most prestigious individual accomplishments. Since Maurice Richard became the first player to reach the milestone in 1944-45, only 101 players have ever accomplished the feat.

The number of 50-goal seasons exploded during the high-scoring '70s and '80s before declining in the modern era. As of the end of the 2025-26 season, those 101 players have combined for 212 different 50-goal campaigns. Wayne Gretzky, Mike Bossy and Alexander Ovechkin share the record with nine 50-goal seasons each.

What makes the achievement even more exclusive is its rarity. Of the 101 players who have ever scored 50 goals, 56 reached the milestone only once in their NHL careers. While the league has produced many legendary snipers with multiple 50-goal seasons, below are a few "one and done's" that reached the mark before fading out for various reasons.

1. Danny Grant 1974-75 Detroit Red Wings - 50 goals

Danny Grant was a scorer in junior, putting up impressive numbers with the Peterborough Petes as a youngster. He transformed that into a solid NHL career, winning the Calder trophy as the leagues top rookie in 1968-69, becoming a regular 20-30 goal guy, with multiple all star appearances. His best season came in '74-75 as a Red Wing, when he scored 50. He never came close to that again, as his career was shortened due to injuries, retiring in 1979.

2. Jacques Richard 1980-81 Quebec Nordiques - 52 goals

After a successful junior career, Jacques Richard had the potential to be an NHL superstar. But aside from one exceptional season where he scored 52 goals in 1980-81, he never fully met those lofty expectations. He was out of the NHL by 1983, and his struggles continued after his playing career, getting arrested in 1989 for attempting to smuggle cocaine. In 2002, Richard was tragically killed in a car accident while returning home from a celebration of his 50th birthday.

3. Gary Leeman 1989-90 Toronto Maple Leafs - 51 goals

The Leafs in 1989-90 could score, and they got scored on a lot. But it was an entertaining bunch, with numerous players regularly hitting the back of the twine that season, with Leeman leading them all that year with 51. He never came close to matching that again, being traded to Calgary in the Doug Gilmour trade a few years later, then going on to win the Stanley Cup with Montreal in 1993. He seems to be doing well, as I thoroughly enjoyed his recent appearance on the Ozoon Canada YouTube sports channel.

4. Ray Sheppard 1993-94 Detroit Red Wings - 52 goals

Ray Sheppard achieved a rare feat during his career, scoring at least twenty goals in a season for six different NHL teams (accomplishing it in 1999). This was a record until Bill Guerin scored twenty goals with seven teams. Sheppard was also once named the second-best golfer amongst athletes (of sports other than golf) by Golf Digest. So he had the skills and athletic ability. But after scoring 52 with the Wings in '93-94, he never ever again got past 30. Though he was on that Panthers cup run team in 1996.

5. Jonathon Cheechoo 2005-06 San Jose Sharks - 56 goals

Jonathan Cheechoo enjoyed a remarkable breakout season in 2005-06, setting a San Jose Sharks franchise record with 56 goals His offensive surge coincided with the arrival of superstar centre Joe Thornton. Before the trade, Cheechoo had just seven goals and 15 points in 24 games, but he erupted for 49 goals and 78 points over his final 57 contests. His career year earned him the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy as the NHL's leading goal scorer, making him the first Shark to win the award and just the second Indigenous player, after Reggie Leach, to score 50 or more goals in an NHL season. He never had a season like that again and after inconsistency and injuries, as well as stops with multiple teams and leagues, Cheechoo retired from hockey in 2018.

TM

When I recently wrote an article on Dickie Dee ice cream, I had no idea the response I was going to get. I tapped into something powerful; nostalgia.

The main source and commentary for the article was Joe Kelsey, a former rider and distributor of Dickie Dee ice cream who grew up in Oshawa. We had such a great interaction, that I wanted to do a business profile on him. We discussed everything from his connections to Dickie Dee, to his successful business interests and entrepreneurial spirit, to family, and his current endeavours in reviving the Dickie Dee name.

Below is that profile.

Interviewer: What are you up to now? In my research I read an old article that you were in the candle business in Barrie, Ontario?

Joe Kelsey: Today I live in the Barrie, Ontario area. I became a father again later in life, and much of my focus over the past few years has been on raising my young family. When the opportunity to help revive Dickie Dee came along, I put my other business interests aside and devoted myself full time to the project. After 35 years of involvement with the brand, it felt like a once in a lifetime opportunity to help bring back a piece of Canadian nostalgia.

Interviewer: Your involvement with Dickie Dee spans 35 years. beginning as a rider in 1991, later becoming a distributor and business owner. What attracted you to Dickie Dee in the first place, obviously a paycheque for a young person was key but was there more?

JK: At 16 years old, I was fired from a restaurant job for something I didn't do. I had a car payment, no income, and my mom mentioned that a friend's son had tried Dickie Dee and thought I'd enjoy it. I applied in early May of 1991. Ironically, on the way home from the interview, I totalled my car.

My first day wasn't exactly encouraging. I was given one of the hilliest routes in Oshawa with very little training. I still remember my very first sale. It was at the corner of Harmony and Olive Road, and the customer bought a Richard D's bar, one of our most expensive products. I only made $18 that day. My dad picked me up afterward and asked how it went. I wasn't happy, but I told him I'd give it another shot. I took my route map home that night and studied every street. The next day I made almost four times as much.

Interviewer: From being a rider to decades of involvement, what was it that made you stay and keep involved? Obviously, the potential to earn a profit but was it something deeper? 

JK: Before long I became one of the top riders in the country. Yes, the money was great. Some weeks I made more than my dad, who worked at General Motors, and I was driving a 1972 Corvette to high school because of Dickie Dee. But the money wasn't the reason I stayed connected to it for 35 years.

Dickie Dee represented freedom. I loved being outdoors, getting exercise, meeting people, and essentially running my own small business at a young age. It taught me work ethic, customer service, and entrepreneurship long before I knew those words. Every day was different, and every dollar I earned was the result of my own effort.

Even after the original company closed in 2004, I couldn't let it go. I bought my boss out who ran Oshawa and opened a second location in Whitby.  I began buying, restoring, and preserving the bikes because I felt they were an important piece of Canadian history. That eventually led me to start other successful ice cream businesses like Twirlees and Hollywood Cone, study ice cream technology at the University of Guelph, and ultimately devote myself to trying to revive the Dickie Dee brand.

Looking back, Dickie Dee wasn't just a summer job. It shaped my career, introduced me to lifelong friends, taught me how to build a business, and sparked a passion for the ice cream industry that has never left me.

Interviewer: The company was sold to Unilever and became a division of Good Humor-Breyer in 1992, did you see a shift then? Business practices? Policy and Work culture changes? 

JK: Yes, there was definitely a shift after Unilever acquired Dickie Dee. As the years went on, the product lineup became more aligned with the Good Humor and Breyers brands that were already being sold in the United States. By the early 2000s, many of the products were licensed characters like Ninja Turtles, Rugrats and Spider-Man.

While those products certainly appealed to kids at the time, I always felt part of Dickie Dee's identity was its own original creations. Products like the Phantom, a ghost shaped ice cream bar, or the Flyball, a chocolate baseball glove with a gumball baseball, were uniquely Dickie Dee. Those are the products people still talk to me about today. It's interesting that, decades later, the nostalgia isn't really for the licensed characters. It's for the original Dickie Dee products that you couldn't get anywhere else.

From my perspective, the company gradually became less unique as it relied more on products that were available through larger corporate brands. I think some of the magic that made Dickie Dee special was lost along the way.

Interviewer: Was it a sad day when the company ceased operations in 2004? 

JK: It was bittersweet. I felt for the riders, distributors and employees whose livelihoods were affected, but from a business standpoint I saw an opportunity. Without a head office, there were no longer territorial restrictions or corporate policies telling me how I had to operate. It gave me the freedom to build the business the way I believed it should be run.

Rather than focusing almost exclusively on street sales, I expanded heavily into corporate events, festivals and private functions. Events provided guaranteed revenue regardless of the weather, and they quickly became a major part of the business. Looking back, the closure of the original company was the beginning of a new chapter for me as an independent entrepreneur.

Interviewer: Why start the Dickie Dee website? 

JK: I originally created the website for two reasons. First, it served as a hub for the Dickie Dee revival project, allowing people to follow its progress and see what we hoped to bring back. Second, I wanted to preserve the history of Dickie Dee. There are countless memories, photos, stories and pieces of history that deserve to be documented before they're lost. The website became a place where former riders, distributors and fans could reconnect with those memories and celebrate an iconic part of Canadian summers.

Interviewer: Do you currently own and operate Dickie Dee equipment now?                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

JK: I still own a small collection of original Dickie Dee equipment, but it's nothing like I had during my years as a distributor. Over the years I've bought, sold and restored hundreds of bikes and carts, but I always intended to keep a few for myself because they're an important part of my personal history.

 Interviewer: Do you employ a host of riders?   

JK: At the moment I don't operate a fleet of Dickie Dee riders. The equipment I have today is primarily for preservation and historical purposes.

Interviewer: Do you see a continued future for Dickie Dee independent riders.? Will there always be an independent Dickie Dee bike riding somewhere in Canada? 

JK: You will always see ice cream bicycle riders out there so long as towns and cities across the country permit them. They may eventually lose the Dickie Dee stigma and association as the younger generations won’t know Dickie Dee but they’ll always be out there. 

Interviewer: Like a rotary phone ringing, or the cackles of an LP playing on a turntable, or the sound of the radio in a car, or even the smell of a summer breeze, do those Dickie Dee “bells” take you back to a more innocent time? 

JK: Absolutely. Those bells instantly take me back to being a kid. The funny thing is, though, the bells were only as good as the person ringing them. The best riders didn't just ride their bikes. They walked them, stopped often and rang those bells with everything they had. By the time I heard the bells as a kid, the rider was usually already in front of my house. I'd sprint inside to find my parents and convince them to give me some money before the bike disappeared around the corner. Sometimes I'd make it. Many times all that was left were the tire tracks, the faint scent of a Cherry Blockbuster and the disappointment of missing out.

Years later, when I became a distributor, I remembered that feeling. In 2006 I worked with Nichols Electronics, the company that made the original ice cream truck music boxes, to install music on Dickie Dee bikes for the first time. Hidden speakers and battery packs meant customers could hear the bikes from much farther away, giving families more time to come outside. Sales increased dramatically almost immediately. Today, modern Bluetooth speakers let us play everything from traditional ice cream truck music to themed music for events, but hearing those original Dickie Dee bells still takes me right back to my childhood.

Interviewer: They do for me too. Thanks Mr. Kelsey.

(Photo included of Joe Kelsey selling Dickie Dee in Oshawa in 1995)

Cable news giants Fox News, MS NOW and CNN are increasingly preparing for a future beyond traditional cable television by investing heavily in streaming services, memberships, podcasts, digital content and live events. While cable subscriptions continue to decline, news programming remains popular and profitable, allowing these networks to use current revenues to build new business models and attract younger audiences. The shift reflects a broader industry trend of transforming news channels from simple TV networks into multi-platform media brands capable of generating revenue in many different ways. Some look at the moves as innovative. Others see it as desperate.

Stay tuned.

watched him play a few times live at skydome when I went down to visit family in the GTA every other summer. He will be missed.

According to a report, Canada's mainstream media industry is facing another significant blow. Following Rogers' recent decision to close several Prairie and Western radio newsrooms, reports now suggest Corus is preparing major cuts to Global News operations in Alberta and other regions to satisfy creditors amid ongoing financial pressures. 

The timing of these reductions, as Alberta's separation debate is ongoing, is likely to fuel concerns that corporate Canada prioritizes Toronto, Vancouver, and Quebec over Western interests. The report also questions whether the moves are intended to increase pressure on Ottawa for potential government assistance. Stay tuned. 

Ding-a-ling, ding-a-ling,” the bells came from the street. The year is 1988, or 1978, or 1968, it’s summertime and many young boys and girls across Canada hear them and immediately make a speedy dash. First to their unsuspecting parents for some money, then if successful, to the street, to meet up with the origin of the bells…the Dickie Dee ice cream seller. Like a siren calling Odysseus and his crew in Homer’s The Odyssey, the Dickie Dee bells were a call for all the young boys and girls across the country to come get some delicious ice cream. 

“The minute I heard those bells, I knew I had to get a move on and ask my parents for some money before he was gone,” says longtime Dickie Dee enthusiast Joe Kelsey in regards to the the Dickie Dee ice cream bikes that traversed the residential streets in his hometown of Oshawa, Ontario. “I probably only had about a 30% success rate in chasing those bikes down!”

 Millions of kids over the decades experienced this ritual every summer; a hot day, the bells ringing, then rushing out to catch the riders. It was a national Canadian tradition for decades. Dickie Dee was founded in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in the early 1950s by entrepreneur Syd Glow. In 1959, the company was sold to the Barish family, who transformed it into one of North America's largest mobile ice cream vending businesses. 

 At its height, Dickie Dee had approximately 1,500 operators serving communities across Canada and parts of the northern United States. Dickie Dee's success was supported by an extensive network of distributors, ranging from small family-run operations to larger warehouse-based centres. 

 “My involvement with Dickie Dee spans 35 years,” says Joe Kelsey. “Beginning as a rider in 1991, later becoming a distributor and business owner, and continuing over the years through buying, selling, restoring, and working with Dickie Dee equipment long after the original company ceased operations in 2004.” 

 In 1992, the company was acquired by Unilever and became part of Good Humor-Breyers, which continued operating the brand until the early 2000’s. Although the original corporate structure no longer exists, many former distributors and employees continue to preserve the legacy of one of Canada's most iconic ice cream brands.

 “Nostalgia is big right now,” Kelsey explains. 

 “I'd run out and ask my mom, who was often out gardening,” he fondly recalls when he’d hear the Dickie Dee ice cream seller coming. “She'd say, ‘Go ask your father,’ then I'd have to find my dad, and he'd often say, “Go ask your mother.’ Sigh.” 

 Dickie Dee sparks a sense of childhood enthusiasm in Canadians of a certain age; an innocence and remembrance, attached to a simple ice cream tricycle, that only a past smell or song or photo could rival. The sounds of the bells and the memories of the various ice cream products, like the “Phantom,”  the “Space Shuttle,” and “Fudgsicles.”

 These recollections strongly continue on to this day, in people middle aged or older by now, but occasionally still kids at heart.

 “Finally, I'd get the money and get yelled at for running outside in my socks, but I knew I had limited time,”  Kelsey adds. 

 “Eventually, we started keeping money on top of the fridge so we could avoid the whole song and dance with my parents. “

 
(Photo courtesy of Joe Kelsey)

Trent McMartin 

 

Friday, July 31, 1987, a date that will forever live in infamy in Edmonton, Alberta and surrounding areas. Also known as Black Friday, the deadliest and most destructive tornado in Alberta's history touched down at 2:55 p.m. MDT just north of Beaumont, and went on a run of destructive terror for over an hour. Leaving 27 people killed, hundreds injured, and over 300 homes levelled. The storm carved a path of destruction 30.8 kilometres (19.1 miles) long and up to 1.3 kilometres (0.81 miles) wide. Reaching peak intensity on Refinery Row in Strathcona County, derailing train cars and turning giant oil storage tanks upside down, crumpling them like they were cardboard. 

The immediate aftermath in Strathcona County was severe damage and destruction to infrastructure, with communication and transportation being disrupted, as phone lines went down, and access to healthcare facilities critically hindered. It would take months to clean up and to asses the true damage, with hundreds of millions of dollars in property damage. Strathcona County was set to host the 1987 Alberta Summer Games that August, but with the tragedy and destruction left by the tornado, an uncertainty hung in the air whether or not the games would go on. 

“The tornado of ‘87 and its aftermath was a very traumatic situation,” said the Honourable Iris Evans, former reeve and Strathcona County councillor. “The real miracle of those games happening was the preparation; it was very well planned.”

 The 1987 Alberta Summer Games were hosted by Strathcona County from August 13 to August 16, 1987, welcoming athletes aged 11 to 16 from across the province to compete in various sports. The games served as a premier provincial multi-sport event designed to foster athletic development for youth across Alberta. Strathcona County is again set to host the province once again for the 2026 Alberta Summer Games, taking place from July 16 to 19, 2026. The upcoming event will feature roughly over 2500 athletes and participants. 

 “People weren’t sure if the ‘87 games were going to be put on after the tornado,” said Evans, who also served as the Alberta Minister of Health and Wellness and later the Minister of Employment, Immigration and Industry for the Government of Alberta. “It might have been the largest collection of volunteers up to that point to gather and work an event in Strathcona County, and that coupled with fantastic leadership made the event a success.”

 In terms of leadership, Evans is referring specifically to Jim Common, the then reeve of Strathcona County, and Doug Fulford, head of the games organization. “The ‘87 games might have been Jim Common’s golden moment as reeve, while Doug Fulford did a great job too, with Doug’s big smile, he welcomed everyone,” Evans said. “Everyone did a masterful job, really igniting the fires of volunteerism in the community.”

 Heroic organization and preparation became the keys to the success of the ‘87 games, but it meant nothing if the weather didn’t cooperate. The tornado and subsequent rains did do a number on the facilities, soaking fields, worrying organizers with just days to go before the events started.

 “Just right before things kicked off, the sun shone almost defiantly, in the wake of the tornado, it was brilliant,” Evans remembered. “The ground was still a bit soggy for the start but things soon righted themselves.” 

 The legacy of those ‘87 games stretches far and wide, as it not only sparked a new passion for community volunteerism, but helped initiate the building of recreational facilities. With the games success, it also led to future sporting events being hosted by Strathcona County, including the upcoming 2026 Alberta Summer games. 

 “It (the ‘87 Games) was a new venture, it was really the first time we had uniforms and ball caps and lanyards, and the credentials started to come in,” Evans said. “It was also the beginning of the development in the enthusiasm for strong recreational facilities being built, like eventually places like Millennium Place came about.”

 As for the Honourable Iris Evans’ personal take on the legacy of  the games and their affect on the community, she remembers both the immediate aftermath after the games ended, along with its lasting impact. 

 “When it was over, even later in September when everything was said and done, the staff, the volunteers, the organizers, everybody breathed a sigh of relief, especially going through the adversity with the tornado. The games were very well organized and a success,” she fondly recalled. 

 “It (the games) put Strathcona County on the map, for more than just for refining operations,” Evans added. 

 “People look back at the ‘87 Alberta Summer Games with pride.”

 

  

Trent McMartin

Twenty years may seem like a long time in a person’s life, yet it can fly by quickly, as those who have lived on this earth for more than a few decades can attest too. That’s how long it’s been since I last checked in with Sherwood Park‘s prodigal musical sons The Disturbers. Much time has passed since that first interview, but the Alberta band has kept the “nouveaux classic rock” fires burning loud and proud. Through various group iterations and personal and musical adversities, The Disturbers are still here rocking and rolling. Now with a couple new exceptional music tracks posted up on their website and YouTube page, the band is looking forward to seeing a brand new full-length album released.  

“Darren and I have talked about putting together a full new album, and to our surprise now we have it nearly completed…so stay tuned for that,” said Bruce Cline, lead singer of the Disturbers. 

“Darren” is Darren Beveridge, longtime guitarist and backing vocalist for The Disturbers. These days Bruce Cline and Darren Beveridge are technically the only official members of the band, currently keeping the legacy going after all these years. 

“The vast majority of The Disturbers catalog, including our 2014 release Retirement Plan, in the past was written by Bruce and I, so we two in essence have recently kept the band alive in the shadows, tweaking and writing here and there when we could,” said Beveridge. “Historically, just the two of us have performed together as The Disturbers live on several occasions, including a small tour in Hawaii,” he explained. 

 If the new album is anything like the two new single releases the duo recently put out online, then fans and listeners alike will be in for a treat. The first cut “Settlers” is a deeply emotional and resonating track, that explores drug addiction, specifically how it affects relationships. 

”The ‘Settlers’ song was inspired by a friend who had a tumultuous marriage to a woman who had an opiate addiction, and it ultimately took her,” said Cline.

“So in the end it was about ‘settling’ for a life, rather than living it,” Beveridge added. 

The second track is a countryfied roots rocker titled “It’s Coming For Me.” It has a “Blaze of Glory” outlaw style vibe, yet more contemporary. With each subsequent replay, the track becomes weightier, and progressively more prominent.

“Coming For me’ ended up being a little more ‘country’ than I planned, but it worked out,” said Cline of the haunting country rocker. “An old fella at a veteran home said to me, ‘I don’t know when, but he’s coming for me,’ and I thought it was a good line and used a version of it for the song.”

As with Cline, Beveridge too is enjoying the new songs, but he realizes the music industry today is a lot different from when the group started. From the shift from physical albums to digital releases, to the complete change in distribution channels, music now is released and consumed very differently than what it was 20 years ago.

“I like our newest material quite a bit, but it’s not exactly the best time to be an original artist band in the world, for guys that aren’t each 25 years old and cranking out Tik Tok mini songs,” said Beveridge. “Maybe with this new stuff being released, we will find it makes it further out into the wild.”

So what’s in store for the band in the future? The duo is focusing mainly now on writing and recording, but a tour or some shows could be possible down the road. 

“I will continue to write songs based on the law of averages method: write enough of them, and one will be a good one,” said Cline. 

“I think we are going to keep putting new stuff out until we can’t,“ added Beveridge. 

 As for a tour…

“As far as touring or shows; we will see. I can’t fit into tight pants anymore,” Cline humorously joked. “I don’t have any hair and need reading glasses now.”

 

Trent McMartin

(Photo is The Disturbers playing a show in Nisku, Alberta, a few years ago. Courtesy of Darren Beveridge).

Twenty years may seem like a long time in a person’s life, yet it can fly by quickly, as those who have lived on this earth for more than a few decades can attest too. That’s how long it’s been since I last checked in with Sherwood Park’s prodigal musical sons The Disturbers. Much time has passed since that first interview, but the band has kept the “nouveaux classic rock” fires burning loud and proud. Through various group iterations and personal and musical adversities, The Disturbers are still here rocking and rolling. Now with a couple new exceptional music tracks posted up on their website and YouTube page, the band is looking forward to seeing a brand new full-length album released. 

“Darren and I have talked about putting together a full new album, and to our surprise now we have it nearly completed…so stay tuned for that,” said Bruce Cline, lead singer of the Disturbers. 

“Darren” is Darren Beveridge, longtime guitarist and backing vocalist for The Disturbers. These days Bruce Cline and Darren Beveridge are technically the only official members of the band, currently keeping the legacy going after all these years. 

“The vast majority of The Disturbers catalog, including our 2014 release Retirement Plan, in the past was written by Bruce and I, so we two in essence have recently kept the band alive in the shadows, tweaking and writing here and there when we could,” said Beveridge. “Historically, just the two of us have performed together as The Disturbers live on several occasions, including a small tour in Hawaii,” he explained. 

 If the new album is anything like the two new single releases the duo recently put out online, then fans and listeners alike will be in for a treat. The first cut “Settlers” is a deeply emotional and resonating track, that explores drug addiction, specifically how it affects relationships. 

 “The “Settlers” song was inspired by a friend who had a tumultuous marriage to a woman who had an opiate addiction, and it ultimately took her,” said Cline.

“So in the end it was about “settling” for a life, rather than living it,” Beveridge added. 

 The second track is a countryfied roots rocker titled “It’s Coming For Me.” It has a “Blaze of Glory” outlaw style vibe, yet more contemporary. With each subsequent replay, the track becomes weightier, and progressively more prominent.

“Coming For me” ended up being a little more “country” than I planned, but it worked out,” said Cline of the haunting country rocker. “An old fella at a veteran home said to me, “I don’t know when, but he’s coming for me,” and I thought it was a good line and used a version of it for the song.”

 As with Cline, Beveridge too is enjoying the new songs, but he realizes the music industry today is a lot different from when the group started. From the shift from physical albums to digital releases, to the complete change in distribution channels, music now is released and consumed very differently than what it was 20 years ago.

“I like our newest material quite a bit, but it’s not exactly the best time to be an original artist band in the world, for guys that aren’t each 25 years old and cranking out Tik Tok mini songs,” said Beveridge. “Maybe with this new stuff being released, we will find it makes it further out into the wild.”

So what’s in store for the band in the future? The duo is focusing mainly now on writing and recording, but a tour or some shows could be possible down the road. 

“I will continue to write songs based on the law of averages method: write enough of them, and one will be a good one,” said Cline. 

“I think we are going to keep putting new stuff out until we can’t,“ added Beveridge. 

 As for a tour…

“As far as touring or shows; we will see. I can’t fit into tight pants anymore,” Cline humorously joked. “I don’t have any hair and need reading glasses now.”

Trent McMartin

(Photo is of The Disturbers full live band playing Nisku, Alberta, a few years back).